PISCATAWAY, NJ – The IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative is proud to announce the distribution of scholarships for the 2013-14 academic school year to 228 undergraduate students at 116 universities across the United States and Canada. This is the first time recipients have been selected from Canada.

The IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative provides multi-year scholarships and career experience opportunities to qualifying U.S. electrical engineering undergraduate students. As long as the scholar continues to meet renewal standards, he or she will receive up to three years of funding — US$2,000 in the first and second years and $3,000 in the third year — interspersed with up to two years of valuable, hands-on career experience. Over 115 companies have hired a PES Scholar for an internship and/or a full time position.

“There’s a lot of energy behind the PES initiative and it’s gratifying to see new talent connecting with employers – it’s fun to know you’re making a difference in a big way. And I know we have,” said Wanda Reder, Co-Chair of the scholarship. “In recent years, with the emergence of smart grid and renewables, it’s a different game that is attracting a younger demographic. A recent survey showed that the number of graduates pursuing power engineering is up about a third since 2006. So that’s progress.”

With this being the third year of the program, the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative has distributed 549 scholarships to students at 119 universities, including Ivy League colleges, flagship state universities and prestigious engineering colleges across the USA and Canada. The program has supported scholarships worth $1.1 million and has raised over $5.2 million in cash and pledges from donors for the program.

The initiative is making a difference in lives of students. A PES Scholar recently noted “Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this program. Not only has it helped me fund my education and change my path from the life I lived prior, it opened up so many career paths. This past week I signed an offer from company which is contingent upon my graduation. I found out about this job opening and applied for it through the PES career notifications. I seriously cannot say thank you enough for all your hard work and help because I could not have done this without your support.”

Two industry leaders have each showed their support of the program through their respective $1 million donations; S&C Foundation, which is affiliated with S&C Electric Company, as well as Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Other prominent supporters of the Fund interested in solving power engineering workforce problems include G&W Electric Company, The Grainger Foundation, Doble Engineering Company, Alstom, Powell Industries, Commonwealth Edison and Omicron. A complete list of sponsors is available at http://www.ee-scholarship.org/donate

The scholarship fund is administered by the IEEE Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1973 in the State of New York exclusively to support the scientific and educational purposes of IEEE. Visit www.ieeefoundation.org for more information.

About IEEE:IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org.

About the IEEE Foundation:The IEEE Foundation provides philanthropic services in support of the IEEE core purpose to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. To fulfill its role, the IEEE Foundation relies on donations to award grants to charitable organizations with new and innovative projects. It also administers more than 130 donor designated funds that support a variety of educational, humanitarian, historical preservation, and peer recognition programs of IEEE.

About IEEE Power and Energy Society:The IEEE Power & Energy Society is a technical society of IEEE with of more than 29,000 individuals engaged in the electric power energy industry. Our mission is to be the leading provider of scientific information on electric power and energy for the betterment of society and the preferred professional development source for our members.

IEEE Power and Energy SocietyThe mission of IEEE Power & Energy Society is to be the leading provider of scientific and engineering information on electric power and energy for the betterment of society, and preferred professional development source of its members.